Korean Education System: Why Is It Good And How It Works?

Every parent is concerned about their child’s education and pitched battles occur between parents and schools about the right way for students to learn.

Some of these conflicts are quite intense, especially over hot-button issues, such as controversial topics, homework, and standardized testing, similarly related to 2018 K-drama Sky Castle. With a push for students to achieve more in their education, many parents have begun to look to the South Korean education system for inspiration in order to find effective ways of improving their children’s education. In this article, we’ll take a look at the Korean education system, what makes it effective, and how it works in order to see what education systems around the world can learn from it.

So, what can we say about education in South Korea?

Going the Extra Mile

South Korea’s education system is one of the strongest in the world, but it is also one of the most difficult.

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The country is famous for the intensity of its education system. Students move through school with a sense of purpose because they are highly motivated toward high achievement, and this desire for high achievement is reinforced by parents, who routinely expect exceptional performance from their kids. Parental involvement is one of the biggest factors shaping how students experience education in South Korea. On average, parents spend 15% of their income on supplementary services to help their children navigate the education system and achieve more. In fact, it is not unheard of for some families to devote 25% of their income in support of their children’s education.

So what are they buying with all that money? Parents are spending it on workbooks, supplementary materials, night classes, and private tutors. South Korean students attend classes in school from 9 AM to 5 PM, and many then go to night courses or work with tutors until 10 PM. Sometimes there is so much homework that students are in lack of time for simple things such as restful sleep, time with family or friends, that is why it is better to come to custom essay writing to free up some time.

This single-minded focus on achieving results measurable by standardized testing means that South Korean students are sacrificing their free time and their childhoods to ensure they squeeze every last point out of their test results.

Benefits of Korean Education System

While the practices described in the previous abstract may seem somewhat over the top, it is worth remembering, that they truly give results.

1. Korean students are welcome in universities around the world. South Korean students are much more successful in dealing with any kind of standard tests like GCSE than their western counterparts. That is why many quality universities around the world are interested in students from South Korea.
2. Education features a free market. While a grinding system is also rather popular in China, South Korean education is much more “free market” and international oriented. Students are strongly motivated to integrate with different educational and labor processes worldwide.
3. STEM disciplines are prioritized. The South Korean educational system doesn’t live in the past, it lives in the future. Students spend more hours on math, technology, robotics, and similar disciplines than students in any other country around the globe.
4. Classes are well-equipped. Of course, we cannot say it about every school and every class in South Korea, but the average level of educational facilities is impressive. It helps students stay in touch with the latest tech developments and study more efficiently.
5. The system evolves. While the earlier South Korean system was fully focused on rating and standard test results, now the curriculum includes classes featuring emotional intelligence, rules of well-being, and psychological hygiene.

Still, to benefit from this system, being a pupil and later a student, you need to work more than many adults ever will work in their lives.

High Tech Schools

South Korean schools also make great use of technology to help keep their students on the cutting edge of education. Technology has helped to make education more efficient. Gone are the days when students had to be physically present in a classroom to learn. Now, lectures can be delivered online and tests are often administered over the internet. With technology reshaping education, South Korean schools have been at the forefront of adapting to the changing environment.

The schools in South Korea are global leaders in the integration of smart technology. The use of these advanced teaching aids allows teachers, for example, to tailor their curriculum to the individual learning styles and special needs of individual students. This allows teachers to add more visuals for students who are visual learners, enhance lessons with audio extras for those who are auditory learners, and provide individualized activities geared to each student’s skill level and knowledge base.

A Culture of Academic Excellence

Throughout South Korea, a culture of academic excellence is nearly universal. At the end of their high school careers, students sit for a national exam that determines the college they will attend and thus their potential futures. Because this exam is all-important, preparing for it is a national priority, and this in turn leads students and parents to see academic excellence as an essential prerequisite for success. The test is so serious and important, that the entire country shifts its habits and activities to accommodate the exam. Airspace over exam centers is closed to air traffic during the annual exam period to avoid even the minor disturbance of a distant airplane engine rumble.

But overall, what sets South Korea apart is its top-to-bottom support for education, schools, and teachers. South Korea takes pride in its education system, and its teachers are seen as heroes. If other localities elevated teachers to the same high-status role, then it would help to encourage an upward quality spiral in education rather than the downward spiral of demoralization and budget cuts that so many countries are currently experiencing.